Anastasia State Park

Anastasia — a name that evokes visions of beauty and royalty. Indeed, there was a legendary Grand Duchess of Russia by the name of Anastasia whose story became an epic animated film. Whatever the history*, this park was well named, as the beauty and grandeur are spectacular.

The Ancient Dunes Trail is a short loop through the forest, less than a mile, but quite hilly…hence “Ancient Dunes.” Another very short trail leads to the Old Spanish Quarries, where coquina was mined to build the nearby Castillo de San Marcos, the oldest masonry fort in the continental U.S.

* The name Anastasia comes from the huge coquina rock formation that underlies much of Florida’s east coast, known as the Anastasia Formation. How this formation got its name is another story, unknown to me.